Worcester, Massachusetts

Things to Do in Worcester, New England’s Second Largest City

As New England’s second largest city, Worcester is an exciting urban area in which to live, learn and explore. Recognized time and again with the All-America City Award, Worcester combines the opportunities and cultural amenities of a big city with the allure of an accessible and easily-navigable college town.

From cultural venues to sports games, traditional restaurants to trendy coffee shops, there is much to see and do in Worcester. Whether you are in the city for a day, or calling Worcester home for the next four years, gather your friends and get started on our Worcester Bucket List.

Worcester Bucket List

You’ll always be able to find something to do in Worcester:

Visit an exhibition at the Worcester Art Museum

Catch a Worcester Bravehearts baseball game

Order “the Assumption” at New England Roast Beef

Attend a show at The Hanover Theatre

Ski, or hike, Mount Wachusett

Spend a day shopping and dining on Shrewsbury Street

Dine outside at West Side BBQ, enjoy the guacamole at Mezcal or enjoy a hot dog at George’s Coney Island

Taste test an array of flavors at Worcester’s own Polar Beverages, renown for their seltzer

Transportation In and Around Worcester

While students generally stay local on weekends, Boston and Providence are a quick drive, train or bus ride away. . From downtown Worcester, students can take a commuter rail to Boston and access regional and national bus service. International airports are located in Boston, Providence, Hartford and New York City, and Worcester's own regional airport offers always expanding services from JetBlue.

Cross Registration: Access to Hundreds of Classes

Assumption College is a member of the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts (HECCMA), which allows students to cross-register for classes at 10 nearby colleges and universities. These classes are all preapproved for academic credit. Through HECCMA, Assumption students may also participate in events at member schools and use other Consortium college libraries free of charge.

Meaningful Internship Opportunities in an Economic Hub

79 percent of Assumption’s class of 2015 graduates participated in at least one internship during their undergraduate career. Guided by the College’s Career Development and Internship Center (CDIC), students obtain vital skills and experience by engaging with local companies and taking advantage of the plentiful internship opportunities in business, the arts, athletics, education, life sciences, health care and the many other industries that have chosen to establish a lasting presence in Worcester.

Even the N.Y. Times has taken notice of Worcester as a college town:

“From one end of the city’s 245-acre central core to the other, Worcester is attending to the 35,000 college students who study and live here, and its primary boulevards are steadily filling up with the civic amenities that attract new residents. They include a busy public transit hub, comfortable and affordable housing, new restaurants…, computer stores and coffee shops, a performing arts theater, biotech research facilities, incubators and office space for start-up companies, and renovated parks — including one alongside City Hall with an ice rink larger than the one in Rockefeller Center.”
-New York Times, Long a College Town, Worcester Now Looks the Part, Jan. 6, 2015

At Assumption, we are committed to exploring with great gusto the relationship between faith and reason. By participating in this 2,000-year-old-tradition, today’s students join generations of scientists, artists, writers, and philosophers who have engaged in a search for truth across disciplines.

We believe the Catholic intellectual tradition to be especially relevant and useful for our times, and encourage the growth of mind, body and spirit in an inclusive, open climate where all faith traditions have a voice.